


Tied Up

by kipsi



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pre-Slash, Protectiveness, Team Up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-25
Updated: 2015-05-25
Packaged: 2018-04-01 05:00:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4006765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kipsi/pseuds/kipsi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It had been Cisco's idea when Barry had told him and Caitlin that they would be working with Captain Cold, for the last time. Being suspicious of the man who had betrayed them already once was only reasonable, but this? <em>This</em> was a nightmare.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tied Up

**Author's Note:**

> I was playing with this plot generator thing and got a nice prompt from there: "The pair get handcuffed together and lose the key". But then it got kind of out of hand.

It had been Cisco's idea when Barry had told him and Caitlin that they would be working with Captain Cold, for the last time. Being suspicious of the man who had betrayed them already once was only reasonable, but this? _This_ was a nightmare.

Cisco had invented a new, unbreakable item that was going to guarantee that Cold wouldn't be able to double-cross them for the second time. Yet it didn't make Barry feel any better, as he and Snart listened to Cisco's explanation of how it all would work out as he secured their hands together with the new pair of handcuffs.

"You realize we can't move that freely like this?" Barry asked, not feeling very comfortable being forced to stay close to Snart, who seemed completely unfazed by the cuffs. "I know that this is going to complicate your task a bit, but it's only for the best," Cisco turned to look at Cold, who raised his eyebrow at the other's tone.

"You have nothing to worry about, this time both of our interests are the same," Snart smirked at Cisco, who ignored him and turned to Barry, handing him the key. "Use this only if necessary."

Barry sighed and pocketed the key, this time forgoing his Flash suit, not wanting to attract more attention to them, Cold already known in the area they were headed to, another, new meta-human trying to take over his territory.

Cisco and Caitlin wished them good luck and told them that they would help them via the earpieces they were wearing if things got out of control.

 

\--

 

Barry swallowed down his uneasiness and was about to turn to run when he was yanked by the cuffs backwards, almost bumping into Snart, who looked at him disapprovingly. "Don't even think about it, kid. Today you're not going to run, not with me attached to you by these," Cold raised his hand and the metal clicked. "Instead, you're going to be a good kid and do as I say."

Their eyes met and Barry glared at him silently. He already hated this. Why couldn't Cisco come up with something else? All of this was just going to slow him down.

"You were the one who asked for _my_ help, Snart," he huffed then, irritated by the other's smirk. "And you're the one stuck with me now, thanks to your friend."

Barry didn't say anything but gave the other a hard look, Snart returning it. He could tell that Cold was amused by all of this, and it made him even more annoyed. Before he could open his mouth to say something, Cold turned and started to walk, Barry having no other choice but to follow him as the metal got tighter around his wrist the more space there was between them.

He cursed, realizing that this was going to be a very long day.

 

\--

 

They were heading to the area by Cold's car that the man had used to come over to the S.T.A.R Labs, for once not being a show-off with his motorcycle.

Barry's arm was hurting as he had to let it hang in the air while Snart drove. It wasn't a long drive, but Barry bit his lip at the feeling of his arm's muscles starting to cramp, hoping that it would be over soon.

They were silent, only music playing on the radio, Barry rolling his eyes when he realized that it was Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice. He glanced at Cold from the corner of his eye, the other catching his look and raising an eyebrow at him, as if daring him to say something. Barry held in the urge to laugh at the man, he should have known by the puns that Cold threw at people that no music would be an exception to him.

He let out a sigh of relief when they finally stopped and got out of the car in an alley, Barry climbing first to the driver's seat after Snart had gotten out, following him then and shaking his aching arm. Snart turned to look at him, feeling the motion on his own arm as well.

"Got chills already, Scarlet? We're not even close to the guy yet," Snart chuckled and moved to the back of the car to pick up his cold gun as Barry followed him and told him to shut up.

"Just let's get this done," he muttered under his breath, being taken then by surprise when Snart took a hold of his hand and pulled it into his parka's pocket with his own. Barry stared at him in disbelief, feeling the man's surprisingly warm hand clasping his.

Cold's lips turned into an amused smile. "What? I doubt it's wise to let our target see that we're kind of tied up."

Barry turned his gaze elsewhere, feeling Snart's eyes still at him, and his hand on his. It was awfully intimate, especially when he felt Cold's thumb moving over his skin, very likely intentionally. Barry bit the inside of his cheek.

"Just... let's go."

 

\--

 

The meta-human that they were up against was, according to Snart, someone who was able to move objects with his mind. Cisco had been overjoyed when he heard about it, having been waiting someone with such powers to appear for a long time already.

But with such powers the meta-human was a bit trickier to catch, Cold having explained that the man was always blocking every attack with nearby objects, always being too _fast_ , throwing the already frozen trash cans and flaming cars back at them, causing them only more trouble.

Mick had gotten burnt by his own flames when shielding Lisa, his left arm and side still healing, Lisa gotten away unharmed thanks to him.

Cold had told them that they would be working together, alone. But when they turned the corner, they saw Lisa leaning against the brick wall, her eyes snapping up at them immediately when they stopped at the sight of her. Barry wasn't that surprised to see her, almost having expected that she would appear at some point.

She cast a look at their joined hands in Snart's pocket, her eyebrow raising as she turned to look at her brother. "What's this, Len? I thought you were going to the _Flash_ to get rid of our problem, not to get another rent boy for yourself." She turned to look at Barry then, giving him a once-over.

Barry felt how his cheeks and ears flamed with embarrassment, remembering then that he wasn't wearing his Flash suit. _Shit_. Though that meant that Snart hadn't really told anyone, not even his sister who the Flash really was. However, it didn't make this situation any better, as he was sure that she would realize on her own soon enough.

He could see Snart smirking from the corner of his eye, obviously amused by the current situation that they were in. Barry wanted to punch him.

"I thought I told you to stay with Mick, sis," Cold replied, ignoring the glare that Lisa sent to his way. "And you thought that I'd listen?" she mocked, "I want that guy out of here, he's ruining our business. Plus I'm not planning on not seeing him getting his ass kicked, and I plan to be a part of that."

Barry watched how the two stared at each other, both of them silent, but their eyes narrowing to an intense staring contest. Barry was in awe, realizing just how similar the two were.

" _Fine_."

Barry blinked. Cold looked annoyed as Lisa's lips formed a smug smile, and then she was finally walking over to them, stopping only a couple of steps away from Barry. "You going to introduce us, Lenny? Or you want to just go and get _that_ ," she motioned at them vaguely, "over with, so we can start _actually_ working?"

Snart was silent for a moment, and Barry bit the inside of his cheek. This was awkward. And so wrong on so many levels. And, shit, she was going to know his identity probably soon anyway. Barry cleared his throat awkwardly, getting both of their attention to himself and feeling Cold's thumb stilling on his skin when he extended his free arm to shake hands with Lisa.

" _The Flash_ ," Barry said then, "but you can call me Barry."

Lisa stared at him, her mouth opening but no words coming out. Barry felt now even more awkward, feeling Cold's gaze on him too. He turned to look at him, seeing him staring as well. " _What_? She was going to realize soon anyway," Barry sighed.

That was when Lisa burst out laughing.

She grinned at Cold, her eyes watering from laughing. "Oh, Lenny. Seriously? _The Flash_?"

Snart narrowed his eyes at his sister who was looking at them now with an amused glint in her eyes. Barry fidgeted and pulled his cuffed hand away from the parka's pocket before Cold could stop him. The sight of their cuffed hands made Lisa lose it again.

"Shut up, sis," the man sighed, "you can thank that boyfriend of yours for _this_ ," the metal of the cuffs rattled as he moved his hand. Barry looked at them with wide eyes as Lisa turned to glare at Cold.

"You and Cisco?" Barry asked hesitantly, Lisa glancing at him then. "Don't listen to Len, he doesn't know anything anyway," she scoffed.

Barry shrugged, not really that surprised after all the flirting that he had heard about from Caitlin, who had been scandalized when she got to know about the whole thing. There was a small crackle in his ear and he adjusted the earpiece, hearing then how Cisco and Caitlin asked what was going on. He turned to give Cold a look, the man having heard the question as well.

"We're on our way," Barry replied, "change of plans, Lisa is coming as well."

Lisa raised her eyebrow at Barry who told her their plan of taking the meta-human down while they started walking again, his attention so focused on her that it took him a moment to realize that Snart had pulled his hand into his pocket again. Barry ignored the warm feeling it awoke in him.

 

\--

 

They were waiting for Lisa to fetch her gold gun, hiding behind an old, smashed-in van, the meta-human in their line of sight and Cisco giving them instructions in their ear. Barry felt energy surging through him. He wanted to _run_ , but in this situation it was difficult. He couldn't still comprehend why Cisco couldn't come up with something more practical.

The meta-human was sitting on a bench, counting money. There were two men standing beside him, ogling the money and not really paying any attention to their surroundings. Barry hoped that this wouldn't take any longer than it had to.

"You told me not to run," he whispered then to Snart, who turned to look at him, his eyes stern as he looked at him. "I can't promise anything, if we really want to catch him," Barry muttered apologetically.

"You do as I say, Scarlet, and we'll get him," Cold told him, ignoring Cisco's voice in his ear. Barry glared at him. "I told you that we're not going to kill him," he hissed, Snart's eyes turning dark. "I'm going to kill him if I have to. I'm not going to let him hurt Lisa, he has already tried once. There's not going to be a second time," Cold's voice was sharp as he watched Barry, waiting for him to argue with him.

Barry stared at him silently, annoyed at how confident Snart was about this. It had been _him_ asking for _his_ help, after all. "I won't let you kill him," he said then, turning to look at the meta-human again.

"Just chill, kid," Snart told him.

They waited for another fifteen minutes until they heard faint footsteps. It took them a moment to realize that they came from the other end of the alley, and soon there was a scream as one of the men beside their target turned gold.

Barry turned to glare at Cold, who cursed under his breath and grabbed Barry's cuffed hand tighter, pulling him out in the open, aiming his cold gun at the two men.

 

\--

 

The bench was lying a few feet away from Barry and Snart, the meta-human having gone berserk after both of his men had been taken care of. There was broken glass everywhere, the man having broken the nearby windows with his powers, Lisa having taken cover after aiming at the closest man, screaming at Len to take care of the other one, which he had. 

Barry wasn't happy with how things had turned out, at all. The meta-human was glaring at them with hatred, having recognized Cold instantly and throwing whatever he saw lying on the ground at them. They had been able to dodge everything so far, the van being a good place to hide behind to, until it was lifted off the ground.

They heard Lisa screaming at them to get the fuck out of there, as she tried to aim at the meta-human, but not being fast enough, the man blocking her every attack, trashcans and signs turning to gold wherever she fired with her gun.

Barry was yanked away from the van that came soon crashing down where they had been hiding behind it not a few minutes ago, and they heard Cisco telling them to distract the meta-human so it would be easier for Lisa to knock him out without killing him.

"It's not going to work, Cisco," Barry told him as he watched Snart firing at the man and seeing how a chunk of pavement was lifted off the ground, the man using it as his shield. "He's too fast," he muttered, annoyed.

" _Barry_ ," Cisco reminded him then, and it took Barry a moment to realize what he meant. "Oh... _Oh_! Cisco!" Barry was grinning now, looking through his own pockets for the key, Snart glancing at him for a second before firing at the man again. "We should have gotten rid of these immediately," Barry mumbled to himself, Cisco and Caitlin both sighing disapprovingly.

"We would have caught him already," Barry reasoned, his grin turning into a frown soon enough, when Cold pulled him once again away from another bench that flew towards them.

They were soon trapped against a wall, no more places to hide to, and Barry felt dread as he saw the meta-human's expression turning malicious as he lifted the van up again. He heard Snart cursing next to him, and Barry felt through his pockets as fast as he was able to.

" _I don't have it_!" he exclaimed then, his eyes widening in horror. "What do you mean you _don't have it_ , Barry? I _gave it_ to you!" Cisco was shouting into his ear, and Barry turned to look at Cold, who was staring at him now as well, his expression saying it all.

"I don't know, it maybe dropped down somewhere," Barry swallowed thickly, watching how Lisa was still trying to shoot at the meta-human and how the man smirked as he threw the van at them.

Everything happened in a blur, but Barry saw it all in slow-motion.

He heard Lisa screaming, the van with its broken, sharp edges flying at them, the meta-human looking pleased, turning then to Lisa with a grin.

Barry gripped Cold's hand tightly and _ran_.

He knew that it wasn't going to be comfortable for Snart, but all he could think of right now was to save them all. He dodged the van, making sure that Cold didn't hit himself anywhere either as he ran to Lisa and made sure to move her away from the meta-human's way, leaving her instead behind the man where there were a couple of pillars where he couldn't see her.

Barry moved to the man's left, and watched how he looked confused for a moment, his gaze turning to the van that was burning now, before he realized that no one was there. His whole face distorted with rage.

Barry felt Snart's hand still tight on his, the man not letting go as he seemed to try and regain the control of his breathing. Barry heard Cisco asking if they were alright in his ear, and that was when the meta-human turned to Barry and threw the already golden water post at their way, the water surging with pressure at them as well, making it difficult to see.

It didn't take long to make the decision, Barry not wanting to subject Snart again to his speed without a warning, knowing just how disorienting it could be, so he pushed the man away from the harm's way.

He heard the meta-human swearing loudly, Lisa having come back, angrier than before and hitting him in the head with his gun, when Barry got hit as well and let out a sudden scream, the pain surging through him and making him see white.

The last thing that he heard was Lisa yelling and Cisco and Caitlin's raised voices in his ear before he blacked out.

 

\--

 

Everything hurt, as Barry woke up in stages. Breathing was painful, and the more conscious he got, the more aching he felt all over his body. It wasn't a question that he had broken bones, his right side burning in pain that brought tears to his eyes.

After a moment of trying to just breathe normally, which made him wince, he realized that he was lying on a bed. It didn't make any sense. All he could remember was saving Lisa, after that Cold.

Barry opened his eyes, feeling suddenly dizzy, his vision blurry not only from the tears. It took him a while to get his sight completely back, the tears trickling free and down to his cheeks as he blinked and tried to sit up, pain shooting through his whole being.

He didn't recognize the place where he was, only being able to detect that it was a rather frowzy bedroom. Barry heard a sigh and turned to the noise beside him, eyes wide. He let out a breath he hadn't realized that he was holding, his whole being relaxing as he saw Snart sitting beside the bed, looking bored.

"Finally awake?" Cold asked him, taking in his face with his gaze, Barry becoming awfully self-conscious of the fact that he had cried in front of him, still feeling the dry tears on his cheeks.

He averted his gaze to the nightstand that had a glass of water and a first-aid kit placed on it. "Yeah," he croaked then, feeling and hearing just how dry his throat was.

He was about to reach for the glass when Snart moved first, bringing the glass to his lips instead, surprising Barry so that he almost forgot to actually drink as their gazes met. The cool water felt great sliding down his throat.

"Lisa told me to stay here," Barry heard the man's annoyment in his voice, "not that there's an option." The metal rattled again and Barry looked down at their still cuffed hands. He didn't know if he wanted to laugh or cry, not really wanting to do either in the end as everything just _hurt_.

"Where is she?" he asked instead, when Cold returned the now empty glass to the nightstand. "Went to that nerd to get another key to these," Snart said, "thanks to you."

Barry swallowed down the lump in his throat. That was when his eyes widened, remembering the most important thing of their whole ordeal. "What about the meta-human? Did we get him? Is he still out there?" Barry's heart started to beat frantically as he thought of the man who had been in rage the last time he had seen him.

He winced as he tried to sit up straighter, pain surging through his spine and making his eyes wet yet again. Barry cursed under his breath, turning his head away from Snart, who continued to sit silently beside the bed, watching him.

"Lisa iced him," Snart replied proudly after a moment, Barry trying to regain the control over his breathing, which hurt immensely. "I told you not to kill him!" Barry hissed through his teeth, and that was when Cold pressed him down to the bed, Barry gasping at the pain before he was lying flat on his back again, the position feeling instantly a bit better.

Barry looked up at Snart, who was glaring down at him, his eyes dark and piercing. "He tried to kill us, that's why you're in so much pain. And you still would've let that fucker run free? He almost killed Lisa again."

The look that he was receiving made Barry's breath catch in his throat, never having seen the man so angry before. "I heal fast," Barry mumbled as an excuse. Snart raised an eyebrow at him. "You've been knocked out cold for 24 hours." Barry grimaced.

"Fine.. but I'll still heal fast," he retorted, seeing the annoyance in Snart's eyes when he grabbed a hold of his forearm and Barry let out a whine, the pain stabbing at his brain.

"Still in pain, though," Cold sneered and let go of him, Barry glaring at the man silently.

They glared at each other for a moment, both of them irritated. They hadn't had to tolerate each other as long as this before, and it was sure that the handcuffs just added to their bad mood. Snart was the first one to break the tense silence with a sigh.

"Just go back to sleep."

 

\--

 

There was arguing the next time Barry woke up from his slumber, frowning at the raised voices that he recognized immediately.

He was still aching all over while blinking his eyes open, seeing Cold and Lisa standing not far from him, Lisa glaring at her brother, who appeared to be free from the cuffs now. Barry didn't feel the tight, cold metal around his wrist either. It was a relief, really.

"It's none of your concern, Len," Lisa hissed at him, crossing her arms and giving him a look that made Barry avert his gaze elsewhere from them. "Especially not when you're _flirting_ with _The Flash_."

Barry's eyes widened at that.

"I'm not," he heard Snart saying, hearing the irritation in his voice as he told Lisa to keep her voice down. "C'mon, Lenny. You think I didn't see how you looked at him while he slept? It's obvious."

Barry licked his dry lips nervously. He suddenly remembered the small touches between the two of them, their hands cuffed together, but also holding to each other. Barry felt embarrassed all over again. He could hear how irked Snart was from his voice.

"Just go already. I don't want to come back and note that Mick has burned down another of our safehouses," he sighed.

Barry heard Lisa grumbling before there were angry, fading footsteps and a door banging closed. Suddenly he didn't know what to do. He didn't want to feign asleep, as he knew it wouldn't work out, but he didn't really want to make it clear that he had heard their conversation either. Barry fumbled with the covers and couldn't come up with anything when he already heard Snart walking towards him.

"Chill, kid," he said then as he took a seat beside the bed again. Barry looked at him curiously and saw him smirking. Barry couldn't help but stare at him, not really knowing what to say, Cold's intense gaze making him suddenly nervous. "Are you healed yet?" the question got his attention immediately, and Barry remembered their previous debate, his ears feeling suddenly hot from embarrassment.

"No," he mumbled, his answer making it feel like he hadn't been right, even though he knew himself already by now. It wasn't exactly his fault that the meta-human had thrown a water post at them.

Barry glanced at Snart and saw the amusement in his face. "You're free to stay here till then," the man said eventually, Barry frowning at him. "You're not taking me to the S.T.A.R Labs??" Barry asked, confused. Snart tipped his head.

"Your friends said that it's better to not move you around."

Barry opened his mouth, but then closed it, opening it yet again. Snart was looking at him curiously. "And they're fine with that? They trust _you_? After _cuffing_ us together?" he asked, not believing what he was hearing, Cold only smirking and saying that yes, a miracle had happened, which only made Barry to stare at him.

"I can't believe this," Barry muttered under his breath.

"Don't worry, Scarlet, you said that you'll heal _fast_."

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first proper fic to this fandom.. and I don't usually write action stuff so it'd be nice to know how I handled that. Also, there's probably going to be more, if you guys just want that. My plan was to write some smut but then it turned to this and I have no idea how that happened.


End file.
